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Gold Cup Post-Mortem: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

By John Godfrey June 27, 2011 2:30 amJune 27, 2011 2:30 am

The United States national team’s run through the Concacaf Gold Cup felt like one of those rickety rides at Coney Island: occasionally thrilling, but always a sniff of potential catastrophe in the air. At one moment you felt exhilarated and glad you came along for the ride; a few seconds later you threw up in your mouth a little and just wanted to go home.

In the first half of the final on Saturday night, when Freddy Adu’s pass found Clint Dempsey, who then sent a beautiful ball into the path of Landon Donovan for a goal, everything seemed right for the Americans. The score was then U.S.A. 2, Mexico 0; the team’s three most famous players were in form and in sync; and the rivals from the south were on their heels.

As we all know by now, that scoreline didn’t last. A resilient — and extremely talented — Mexican squad responded with four unanswered goals, ran rampant over an undermanned and reshuffled American defense, and officially established itself as the dominant team in the region.

Does that mean that U.S. is now a long shot to reach the 2014 World Cup? Should Bob Bradley be tossed out on his ear? Is it time to panic?

No, no and no.
As long as Concacaf is allotted three-and-a-half World Cup spots, the U.S. should remain well positioned to qualify. They don’t have to be better than Mexico, or even, say, Costa Rica. They just have to be slightly better than teams like Honduras, Panama and Jamaica. That is very doable.

And while Bradley’s position might have been in jeopardy if the U.S. had lost to Guadeloupe in the group stage and failed to advance, once the Americans reached the final by avenging a loss to Panama, any talk of job security was a waste of breath.

As for the relative merits of panicking (or not), that’s more of a personal decision. Here are a few opinionated takes on what we learned during the Gold Cup, and some thoughts on what lies ahead for the U.S. national team.

The U.S. Squad Lacks Depth

When Stuart Holden injured his knee in an English Premier League match against Manchester United, the Americans lost one of their best attacking midfielders for the duration of the Gold Cup. When Timothy Chandler’s club team, Nuremberg, successfully lobbied to keep him out of the tournament, Bradley lost one of his most dangerous two-way players. And when Steve Cherundolo hurt his ankle early in the final against Mexico, the U.S. not only lost its most senior defender, it had to turn to the error-prone Jonathan Bornstein as a replacement.

And don’t forget that Jozy Altidore had to sit out the final with a strained hamstring. Altidore wasn’t having a stellar tournament but unlike his replacement, Juan Agudelo, he was never going to be intimidated by El Tri.

In the end, the Americans just couldn’t afford to keep searching for answers that far down the depth chart. The drop off between, say, Holden and Alejandro Bedoya is steep; it gets even worse when Cherundolo leaves the field and Bornstein takes his place.

Expect Bradley and his staff to focus their efforts in the coming year on trying out new players and establishing a deep stable of promising talent. Remember: today’s raw 20-year-old can be tomorrow’s battle-tested 23-year-old, but only if he gets the opportunity to perform in meaningful matches. Integrating this next generation of talent will be essential to the team’s success both in World Cup qualifying and in 2014.

The Back Line: It’s Decision Time

When the 2014 World Cup kicks off in Brazil, Steve Cherundolo and Carlos Bocanegra will both be 35 years old, Jay DeMerit will be 34, and the oft-injured Oguchi Onyewu will be 32 (he moves like he is closer to 40).

All four have been loyal servants to the cause, but should Bob Bradley expect any of them to be on the roster three years from now? (For reference, the average age of the 2010 U.S. World Cup squad was under 27.) If so, OK, let’s keep them in the mix. But if not, it is time to shake hands, say thanks and start giving meaningful playing time to the next generation.

The back line regulars of the future — players like Omar Gonzalez (22), Tim Ream (23), Eric Lichaj (22), George John (24), Gale Agbossoumonde (19), A.J. de la Garza (23), Anthony Wallace (22) and Timothy Chandler (20) — have shown plenty of promise but need to gain experience against high-quality competition. Lichaj and Ream played in the Gold Cup and will no doubt benefit from it going forward. Will the others be given the same chance to succeed?

Which Players Helped Their Cause in the Gold Cup?

Despite a forgettable showing against Mexico, Eric Lichaj showed he can play either outside back position at the international level. He has the tenacity, the speed and the steeliness to succeed. If both he and Chandler continue on their present trajectories, the U.S. could be in good shape at the position in 2014.

Freddy Adu’s struggles in Europe are well documented, but he possesses a technical ability and a flair for the dramatic that is in short supply in the American player pool. Still only 22, Adu played his way into consideration for a roster spot in qualifying.

Which Players Hurt Their Cause?

Oguchi Onyewu and Jonathan Spector couldn’t make it off the training ground and onto the field, so one would have to say that they both took a step back. Given Onyewu’s injury woes and age, it is possible we’ve seen the last of him in a U.S. jersey.

Tim Ream played reasonably well against Canada in the Gold Cup opener but had a nightmare performance against Panama in the group stage. After that, he never saw another minute. Ream is young and talented and seems likely to rebound, but it has to be said the Americans played better defensively when he was on the bench.

Jonathan Bornstein could do nothing right in the final against Mexico, and it was plain for all to see. A longtime Bradley favorite who has a history of error-filled performances, was this Gold Cup his last hurrah?

What’s Next for the National Team?

As of this moment, there are no games scheduled. But if you look back to 2007, the year that most closely resembles 2011 in terms of the World Cup preparation cycle, the U.S. Soccer Federation arranged four friendlies in the second half of the year – three on the road and one at home.

If that pattern holds, and if Bradley continues to pit his players against top-flight competition like Spain, Argentina and Brazil, expect to see some compelling games in the not-too-distant future.

The bigger question: Who will be playing in these matches? Veterans are most likely to deliver results but promising young players stand to benefit the most from the experience. Who Bradley chooses for this next round of friendlies will be crucial.

Assuming the U.S. schedules a game or two during the FIFA international dates in November, here is a look at two potential lineups — one designed to get a result and one designed with an eye toward developing players for the future.

Which roster would you prefer to see later this fall? Which one do you think would win if they squared off against the another? Share your thoughts on this or on any of the other observations raised here in the comments.

John Godfrey obsessively tracks the progress of far-flung American soccer players and is a regular contributor to the Goal blog. Follow him on Twitter: @jhGodfrey.

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Goal, The New York Times soccer blog, will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web. Times editors and reporters will follow international tournaments and provide analysis of games. There will be interviews with players, coaches and notable soccer fans, as well as a weekly blog column by Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore. Readers can discuss Major League Soccer, foreign leagues and other issues with fellow soccer fans.